Part 29
(_c_) Halliwell (_Game Rhymes_, p. 219) gives a version of a Swedish ballad or ring dance-song, entitled "Fair Gundela," he considers this may be a prototype of the English game, or that they may both be indebted to a more primitive original. The Swedish game rather gives the idea of a maiden who has sought supernatural assistance from a wise woman, or witch, to ask after the fate of those dear to her, and the English versions may also be dramatic renderings of a ballad of this character. Mr. Jacobs' _More English Fairy Tales_, p. 221, considers this game to have originated from the Tale of the "Golden Ball."
Mary mixed a Pudding up
Mary mixed a pudding up, She mixed it very sweet, She daren't stick a knife in Till John came home at neet [ = night]. Taste John, taste John, don't say nay, Perhaps to-morrow morning will be our wedding-day.
The bells shall ring and we shall sing, And all clap hands together (round the ring).
Up the lane and down, It's slippery as a glass, If we go to Mrs. ---- We'll find a nice young lass. Mary with the rosy cheeks, Catch her if you can; And if you cannot catch her, We'll tell you her young man.
--Hanging Heaton (Herbert Hardy).
A ring is formed by the children joining hands, one child in the centre. The first verse is sang. Two children from the ring go to the one in the centre and _ask_ her who is her love, or as they say here [Yorks.], "who she goes with;" after that the rest is sung.
See "All the Boys."
Merrils
See "Nine Men's Morris."
Merritot, or the Swing
This sport, which is sometimes called "Shuggy-shew" in the North of England, is described as follows by Gay:--
"On two near elms the slackened cord I hung, Now high, now low, my Blouzalinda swung."
So Rogers, in the _Pleasures of Memory_, l. 77:--
"Soar'd in the swing, half pleas'd and half afraid, Through sister elms that wav'd their summer shade."
Speght, in his _Glossary_, says, "'Meritot,' a sport used by children by swinging themselves in bell-ropes, or such like, till they are giddy." In _Mercurialis de Arte Gymnastica_, p. 216, there is an engraving of this exercise.
Halliwell quotes from a MS. _Yorkshire Glossary_, as follows:--"'Merrytrotter,' a rope fastened at each end to a beam or branch of a tree, making a curve at the bottom near the floor or ground in which a child can sit, and holding fast by each side of the rope, is swung backwards and forwards."
Baker (_Northamptonshire Glossary_) calls "Merrytotter" the game of "See-saw," and notes that the antiquity of the game is shown by its insertion in Pynson, "Myry totir, child's game, oscillum."
Chaucer probably alludes to it in the following lines of the _Miller's Tale_--
"What eileth you? some gay girle (God it wote) Hath brought you thus on the merry tote."
Merry-ma-tansa
[Music]
--Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).
I. Here we go round by jingo-ring, Jingo-ring, and jingo-ring, Here we go round by jingo-ring, About the merry-ma-tansa.
Come name the lad you like the best, Like the best, like the best, Come name the lad you like the best, About the merry-ma-tansa.
Guess ye wha's the young gudeman, The young gudeman, the young gudeman, Come guess ye wha's the young gudeman About the merry-ma-tansa.
Honey's sweet and so is he, So is he, so is he, Honey's sweet and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansa.
[Or--
Crab-apples are sour and so is he, So is he, so is he, Crab-apples are sour and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansa.]
Can she bake and can she brew? Can she shape and can she sew, 'Boot a house can a' things do? About the merry-ma-tansa?
She can bake and she can brew, She can shape and she can sew, 'Boot a house can a' things do, About the merry-ma-tansa.
This is the way to wash the clothes, Wash the clothes, wash the clothes, This is the way to wash the clothes, About the merry-ma-tansa.
[Then follows verses for wringing clothes, ironing, baking bread, washing hands, face, combing hair, washing and sweeping the house, and a number of other things done in housekeeping. The boy then presents the girl with a ring, and they all sing--]
Now she's married in a goud ring, A gay goud ring, a gay goud ring, Now she's married in a goud ring, About the merry-ma-tansa.
A gay goud ring is a dangerous thing, A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing, A gay goud ring is a dangerous thing, About the merry-ma-tansa.
Now they're married we wish them joy, Wish them joy, wish them joy, Now they're married we wish them joy, About the merry-ma-tansa.
Father and mother they must obey, Must obey, must obey, Father and mother they must obey, About the merry-ma-tansa.
Loving each other like sister and brother, Sister and brother, sister and brother, Loving each other like sister and brother, About the merry-ma-tansa.
We pray this couple may kiss thegither, Kiss thegither, kiss thegither, We pray this couple may kiss thegither, About the merry-ma-tansa.
[If any lad was left without a partner, the ring sing--]
Here's a silly auld man left alone, Left alone, left alone, He wants a wife and can't get none, About the merry-ma-tansa.
--Biggar (William Ballantyne).
II. Here we go the jingo-ring, The jingo-ring, the jingo-ring, Here we go the jingo-ring, About the merry-ma-tansie.
Twice about, and then we fa', Then we fa', then we fa', Twice about, and then we fa', About the merry-ma-tansie.
Guess ye wha's the young goodman, The young goodman, the young goodman, Guess ye wha's the young goodman, About the merry-ma-tansie.
Honey is sweet, and so is he, So is he, so is he, Honey is sweet, and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansie.
[Or--
Apples are sour, and so is he, So is he, so is he, Apples are sour, and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansie.]
He's married wi' a gay gold ring, A gay gold ring, a gay gold ring, He's married wi' a gay gold ring, About the merry-ma-tansie.
A gay gold ring's a cankerous thing, A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing, A gay gold ring's a cankerous thing, About the merry-ma-tansie.
Now they're married, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, Now they're married, I wish them joy, About the merry-ma-tansie.
Father and mother they must obey, Must obey, must obey, Father and mother they must obey, About the merry-ma-tansie.
Loving each other like sister and brother, Sister and brother, sister and brother, Loving each other like sister and brother, About the merry-ma-tansie.
We pray this couple may kiss together, Kiss together, kiss together, We pray this couple may kiss together, About the merry-ma-tansie.
--Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, pp. 132-134.
(_b_) At Biggar (Mr. Ballantyne) this game was generally played on the green by boys and girls. A ring is formed by all the children but one, joining hands. The one child stands in the centre. The ring of children dance round the way of the sun, first slowly and then more rapidly. First all the children in the ring bow to the one in the centre, and she bows back. Then they dance round singing the first and second verses, the second verse being addressed to the child in the centre. She then whispers a boy's name to one in the ring. This girl then sings the third verse. None in the ring are supposed to be able to answer, and the name of the chosen boy is then said aloud by the girl who asked the question. If the name is satisfactory the ring sing the fourth verse, and the two players then retire and walk round a little. If the name given is not satisfactory the ring sing the fifth verse, and another child must be chosen. When the two again stand in the centre the boys sing the sixth verse. The girls answer with the seventh. Then all the ring sing the next verses, imitating washing clothes, wringing, ironing, baking bread, washing hands, combing hair, &c., suiting their actions to the words of the verses sung. The boy who was chosen then presents a ring, usually a blade of grass wrapped round her finger, to the girl. The ring then sing the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth verses. When all have chosen, if any lad is left without a partner, the last verse is sung.
The version recorded by Chambers is similar in action, but there are some important differences in detail. The centre child acts as mistress of the ceremonies. The ring of children dance round her, singing the verses. At the end of the first line of the second verse they all courtesy to her, and she returns the compliment. At the conclusion of this verse she selects a girl from the ring and asks her her sweetheart's name, which is imparted in a whisper. Upon this the child in the centre sings the third verse, the ring dancing round as before. If the ring approves her choice, they sing the fourth verse as in the Biggar version, and if they disapprove, the fifth. Chambers does not say whether another child is selected, if this is the case; but it is probable, as he says, the marriage is finally concluded upon and effected by the ring singing the verses which follow. When singing the first line of the eighth verse all the ring unclasps hands for a moment, and each child performs a pirouette, clapping her hands above her head.
(_c_) It seems very clear from both the versions given that this is a ceremonial dance, round or at a place sacred to such ceremonies as betrothal and marriage. The version given by Chambers suggests this the more strongly, as the child in the centre acts as mistress of the ceremonies, or "go-between," the person who was the negotiator between the parents on either side in bringing a marriage about. The courtesying and bowing of those in the ring to her may show respect for this office. On the other hand, there is the more important office of priest or priestess of "the stones" suggested by the action of the game, and the reverence to the centre child may be a relic of this. The fact that she asks a girl to tell her her sweetheart's name, and then announces the name of the girl's choice for approval or disapproval by the ring in both versions, points to the time when consent by relations and friends on both sides was necessary before the marriage could be agreed upon--the inquiry regarding the qualifications of the proposed wife, the recital of her housewifely abilities, and the giving of the ring by the boy to the girl are also betrothal customs. It is to be noted that it was a popular belief in ancient times that to wed with a rush-ring was a legal marriage, without the intervention of a priest or the ceremonies of marriage. Poore, Bishop of Salisbury (circa 1217), prohibited the use of them--
"With gaudy girlonds or fresh flowers dight About her necke, or rings of rushes plight."
--Spenser's _Queen_.
And Shakespeare alludes to the custom in the lines--"As fit as ten groats for the hand of an attorney, as Tib's rush for Tom's forefinger."--_All's Well that Ends Well._ The rejoicing and bestowal of the blessing by the ring of friends give an almost complete picture of early Scotch marriage custom. A version of this game, which appeared in the _Weekly Scotsman_ of October 16, 1893, by Edgar L. Wakeman, is interesting, as it confirms the above idea, and adds one or two details which may be important, _i.e._, the "choose your maidens one by one," and "sweep the house till the bride comes home." This game is called the "Gala Ship," and the girls, forming a ring, march round singing--
Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And three times round goes she; Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And sinks to the bottom of the sea.
They repeat this thrice, courtesying low. The first to courtesy is placed in the centre of the circle, when the others sing:--
Choose your maidens one by one, One by one, one by one; Choose your maidens one by one-- And down goes (all courtesy) Merrima Tansa!
She chooses her maidens. They take her to a distance, when she is secretly told the name of her lover. The remainder of the girls imitate sweeping, and sing several stanzas to the effect that they will "sweep the house till the bride comes home," when the bride is now placed within the circle, and from a score to a hundred stanzas, with marching and various imitations of what the lucky bride accomplishes or undergoes, are sung. Each one closes with "Down goes Merrima Tansa" and the head-ducking; and this wonderful music-drama of childhood is not concluded until the christening of the bride's first-born, with--
Next Sunday morn to church she must gae, A babe on her knee, the best of 'a-- And down goes Merrima Tansa!
Jamieson gives the game as a ring within which one goes round with a handkerchief, with which a stroke is given in succession to every one in the ring; the person who strikes, or the taker, still repeating this rhyme:--
Here I gae round the jingie ring, The jingie ring, the jingie ring, Here I gae round the jingie ring, And through my merry-ma-tanzie.
Then the handkerchief is thrown at one in the ring, who is obliged to take it up and go through the same process. He also mentions another account of the game which had been sent him, which describes the game as played in a similar manner to the versions given by Chambers.
Stewart, in his _Ben Nevis and Glencoe_, p. 361, records the following rhyme:--
Here we go with merry shout, Up and down and round about, And dance a merry-ma-tandy,
but he does not describe the game in detail.
Milking Pails
[Music]
--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy); London (A. B. Gomme).
[Music]
--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).
I. Mary's gone a-milking, Mother, mother, Mary's gone a-milking, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Take your pails and go after her, Daughter, daughter, Take your pails and go after her, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine.
Buy me a pair of new milking pails, Mother, mother, Buy me a pair of new milking pails, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Where's the money to come from, Daughter, daughter, Where's the money to come from, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Sell my father's feather bed, Mother, mother, Sell my father's feather bed, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
What's your father to sleep on, Daughter, daughter, What's your father to sleep on, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Put him in the truckle bed, Mother, mother, Put him in the truckle bed, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
What are the children to sleep on, Daughter, daughter, What are the children to sleep on, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Put them in the pig-sty, Mother, mother, Put them in the pig-sty, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
What are the pigs to lie in, Daughter, daughter, What are the pigs to lie in, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Put them in the washing-tubs, Mother, mother, Put them in the washing-tubs, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
What am I to wash in, Daughter, daughter, What am I to wash in, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Wash in the thimble, Mother, mother, Wash in the thimble, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Thimble won't hold your father's shirt, Daughter, daughter, Thimble won't hold your father's shirt, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine.
Wash in the river, Mother, mother, Wash in the river, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Suppose the clothes should blow away, Daughter, daughter, Suppose the clothes should blow away, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Set a man to watch them, Mother, mother, Set a man to watch them, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Suppose the man should go to sleep, Daughter, daughter, Suppose the man should go to sleep, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Take a boat and go after them, Mother, mother, Take a boat and go after them, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
Suppose the boat should be upset, Daughter, daughter, Suppose the boat should be upset, Gentle sweet daughter o' mine?
Then that would be an end of you, Mother, mother, Then that would be an end of you, Gentle sweet mother o' mine.
--London Nursemaid, 1876 (A. B. Gomme).
II. Mary's gone a-milking, a-milking, a-milking, Mary's gone a-milking, mother, dear mother of mine.
Where did she get her money from, daughter, daughter? Where did she get her money from, daughter, dear daughter of mine?
[Then follow verses sung in the same manner, beginning with the following lines--]
Sold her father's feather bed, feather bed. What will your father lie on, lie on? Lay him in the pig-sty, pig-sty. Where will the pigs lie, daughter? Lay them in the wash-tub, mother. What shall I wash in, wash in? Wash in a thimble, mother. A thimble won't hold my night-cap. Wash by the sea-side, mother. Suppose the clothes should blow away? Get a boat and go after them, mother. But suppose the boat should turn over? Then that would be an end of you, mother.
--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. 169).
III. Mother, please buy me a milking-can, A milking-can, a milking-can! Mother, please buy me a milking-can, With a humpty-dumpty-daisy!
[Then follow verses sung in the same manner, beginning--]
Where's the money to come from, to come from? Sell my father's feather bed. Where's your father going to lie? Lie on the footman's bed. Where's the footman going to lie? Lie in the cowshed. Where's the cows going to lie? Lie in the pig-sty. Where's the pig going to lie? Lie in the dolly-tub. And what am I to wash in? Wash in a thimble. A thimble wunna hold a cap. Wash in an egg-shell. An egg-shell wunna hold a shirt. Wash by the river-side. Suppose the clothes should float away? Get a boat and fetch them back. Suppose the boat should overthrow? Serve you right for going after them!
--Berrington, Oswestry, Chirbury (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 515).
IV. Mother, will you buy me a milking-can, A milking-can, a milking-can? Mother, will you buy me a milking-can, To me, I, O, OM?
Where's the money to buy it with, To buy it with, to buy it with, Where's the money to buy it with, To me, I, O, OM?
[Then the following verses--]
Sell my father's feather bed. Where will your father sleep? My father can sleep in the boys' bed. Where will the boys sleep? The boys can sleep in the pig-sty. Where will the pigs sleep? The pigs can sleep in the wash-tub. Where shall I wash my clothes? You can wash them in a thimble. A thimble is not large enough. You can wash them in an egg-shell. An egg-shell would not hold them. You can wash them by the river side. But what if I should fall in? We'll get a rope and pull you out, To me, I, O, OM.
--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).
V. Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, Two milking-pails, two milking-pails, Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, O sweet mother o' mine.
[Then verses beginning with the following lines--]
Where shall I get my money from, O sweet daughter o' mine?
Sell my father's feather beds. Where shall your father sleep? Sleep in the servant's bed. Where shall the servant sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. Where shall I wash the clothes? Wash them in the river. Suppose the clothes float away? Take a boat and go after them. Suppose the boat upsets? Then you will be drownded.
--London (Miss Dendy).
VI. Mother, come buy me a milking-can, Milking-can, milking-can, Mother, come buy me a milking-can, O mother o' mine.
Where can I have my money from, O daughter o' mine?
Sell my father's bedsteads. Where must your father sleep? Sleep in the pig-sty. Where must the pig sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. What must I wash in? Wash in your thimble. What must I sew with? Sew with your finger. What will you say if I prick me? Serve you right, serve you right.
--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).
VII. Mother, will you buy me a pair of milking-cans, Milking-cans, milking-cans, Mother, will you buy me a pair of milking-cans, O gentle mother of mine?
But where shall I get the money from? Sell my father's feather bed. But where, O where, will your father lie? Father can lie in the girls' bed. But where, O where, shall the girls then lie? The girls can lie in the boys' bed. But where, O where, shall the boys lie? The boys may lie in the pig-sty. Then where, O where, will the pigs lie? The pigs may lie in the washing-tub. Then where, O where, shall we wash our clothes? We can wash by the river side. The tide will wash the clothes away. Get the prop and follow them.
--Sheffield (Miss Lucy Garnett).
VIII. Mother, buy some milking-cans, Milking-cans, milking-cans.
Where must our money come from? Sell our father's feather bed.
[This goes on for many more verses, articles of furniture being mentioned in each succeeding verse.]
--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).
IX. Buy me a milking-pail, my dear mother. Where's the money to come from, my dear daughter? Sell father's feather bed. Where could your father sleep? Sleep in the pig-sty. What's the pigs to sleep in? Put them in the washing-tub. What could I wash the clothes in? Wash them in your thimble. Thimble isn't big enough for baby's napkin. Wash them in a saucer. A saucer isn't big enough for father's shirt. Wash by the river side, wash by the river side.
--Crockham Hill, Kent (Miss Chase).
X. Please, mother, buy me a milking-can, Milking-can, milking-can, Please, mother, buy me a milking-can, My dear mother.
Where can I get the money from? Sell father's feather bed. Where shall your father sleep? Sleep in the boys' bed. Where shall the boys sleep? Sleep in the pig-sty. Where shall the pigs sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. What shall I wash with? Wash in an egg-shell. The egg-shell will break. Wash in a thimble. Thimble's not big enough. Wash by the river side. Suppose the things should float away? Get a boat and go after them. Suppose the boat should be upset? Then you'll be drowned, Drowned, drowned, Then you'll be drowned, And a good job too.
--Enborne, Berks. (Miss M. Kimber).
XI. Please, mother, buy me a milk-can, A milk-can, a milk-can, Please, mother, do.
Where's the money coming from, Coming from, coming from, What shall I do?
Sell father's feather bed, Feather bed, feather bed, Please mother, do.
Where shall the father sleep? Sleep in the servants' bed. Where shall the servants sleep? Sleep in the pig-sty. Where shall the pig sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. What shall I wash in? Wash in a thimble. The shirts won't go in. Wash by the river side. Supposing if I fall in? Good job too!
--Hartley Wintney, Winchfield, Hants (H. S. May).